Speaking from experience BigD, you NEED to add something like quilted silver insulation to cover EVERY window (including the windscreen) I can 't tell you how annoying it is having to scrape the ice from condensation off the INSIDE of everything in the van after a sub-zero night - even if you were snug & warm inside your sleeping bag!!

Buuut, add that stuff & you really shouldn't have too much trouble, altho after a couple of really cold nights on extended trips, I eventually added some fibreglass insulation in between the roof panels & the headlining & stuck self adhesive sound deadening/insulation panels inside all the door & side panels as well as under the floor covering - but if you don't plan on spending more than a day or two out at a time, you probably won't need to go quite that far!

Enjoy!

Ps, make sure your radiator coolant is up to speed & not more than a year old (they can test it, & you need it to manage at least -10 degrees C); add some 'ice-breaker' or other quality fuel conditioner to your fuel, even if it is 'winter fuel'; and add a cap-full or two of metho to your windscreen washer reservoir (both if you have a rear one - my L300 Van did!) It also never hurts to add a blanket or canvas, cardboard sheet, or similar to stop wind blowing thru/over the engine & radiator.

An Ex-Service person is someone who thought enough about their country & how great it is, how lucky we are to live here, to write a blank cheque made out to 'The People and Commonwealth of Australia' for the value of 'Up to & including my Life!'

It must be really cool to "just do it".
I agree on the coolant. A very Dutch thing to do/have.
Inside freezing up windows....Thanks I was almost over that trauma....
I used to have a few Citroen 2CV6 's. A 2 Cylinder air cooled kinda convertible.
In serious cold weather it would take a few stops to clean the windows in and outside before the car was really warm enough to keep things more or less defrosted.
How would I keep (drinking) water from freezing solid? I can insulate the tank but it's always the tap that freezes up.

I sleep in my car when fishing the snowies in winter. Have a good sleeping bag, preferably in a good swag, Leave a down wind window open a bit to let the condensation out brfore it freezes on the glass. Make sure your battery is in top shape. Have good layered winter clothes as it is bitterly cold when you stop moving. Boots with felt liners (say rent some snow boots) will keep your feet warm. Leave those butane cannister stoves at home and use a propane or other low temperature stove. Pick your tracks with care, especially the steep ones. 10 plus litre water containers will not freeze solid, but the water will be bloody cold.

I won't be doing off road 4WD-ing. I am traveling with my wife but regarding recoveries I will be on my own. My wife is physically not able to help much.
But that's OK. I am not worried about clothing.
We had 30+ years training in Holland....
We will stick to the camps sites like Tom Groggin etc. I would be quite happy to use
something like Tom G. as a base to do day trips from. It's years ago that we last saw real snow. It will be spectacular around every corner!
I presume that the Charlotte Pass will be closed. I need to do some more research

Besides all the good points already made I have some tips.
1. Grab a stove that uses Shellite fuel. Gas freezes and is very temramental in those conditions. When I use to hike and camp the Snowies mid winter we use to put our little gas cookers in our sleeping bags overnight to prevent issues. Even then once out in the cold those little stoves had a hard time performing. We eventually bought Shellite mountaineering stoves. Having said that today's gas cookers might be different.

2. For that first cuppa, either make up a thermos the night before or put your water in a collapsible water container and place that inside and at the foot of your sleeping bag. Iv heard people use Hot Water water bottles but when I tried it the water had a funny taste.

3. If you have any damp clothing, lay them out under your sleeping bag. Your body heat over night will dry them out.

I have to have a good look at our stove. I know that the $20 canister cookers don't work when it's cold. What I do like about them is that they are easy to pack.
I would be happy with something in the same shape.
I know about hot water bottles. I don't like them and don't like water in my bed.
Good idea about the clothing.
Tarp-ing the car will be harder. We are sleeping in it. But the condense might be an issue. I have to have a look at that as well.

Are the camp sites closer to Thredbo open? We are thinking of keeping that as a starting point.
Thanks again

Not sure about camping on that end of the park, but there are always a few hardy folk camped at Cotterill's Cottage on the way to Selwyn. But while this area does get snow cover, it's not as certain as at higher elevations.

Big D. Im curious as to what -20 sleeping bag you have.
When I use to backpack the Snowies as a young bloke I bought a bag called the Kosiosko V-Tube -15 100% down. Great bag and still got it in excellent condition. In 1982 I paid $250.
Today we tend to just use the one bag for winter/summer. The wife and I are fans of Flannel lined bags. Also both are 1100 wide. The wife uses the Darche Cold Mountain -12. I went to buy a second one for me recently but Darche in their wisdom don't do that bag flannel lined any more. The Darche rep told me about their new Cold Mountain -5 Canvas Bags. Double zipped as in its a Left and right zipper bag. So I checked them out, liked and got one. Haven't used it yet but love the look and feel of it. Being a canvas shell they're not a 'stuff' bag, that is you don't stuff it into its carry bag. You roll them up like a swag and they have two straps at the ends. Comes with an nice canvas roomy double handled bag.
Also have a Roman -10 Big Man. Nice bag but has the Silk Touch synthetic liner which is what Darche stepped over to, or similar.
Cheers.

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I have a down bag of similar vintage that has been a really excellent cold weather bag brand "Sleepmaster" model "Polar". The exterior had only begun to show some wear & tear in the last few years. I picked up another good down bag "One Planet" at the closing sale of a local camping store. In summer I just jam a silk liner and an old quilt into my swag.

Funny that the older sleeping bags appear the best.
We have a few sleeping bags. However the one my wife and I rate the highest are the oldest that we bought back in Holland about 35 years ago. We bought them with a "Shell rewards card"....get 5 liters get 1 stamp. Many many stamps later we bought these sleeping bags. The are not hooded but very comfortable.
I have 2 hooded bags. I don't like the hooded part but they are at least not tapered towards the bottom. I am a little color blind and bought this awesome sleeping bag at some camping show about 10 years ago. It was much cheaper than most but rated as sleeping bag much higher than the others. So, I bought my bargain.
When I showed my wife she had a giggle about my new extra large PINK sleeping bag. But it's an awesome bag and I have used it many times during winter in the Carnavon and Mt Moffat.
The other one (I did ask about the color this time) was much more expensive but rate similar as my pink one but it's not as comfortable. I have no idea what brand they are. They are both stuff bags. The oldies are folding ones.
The old bags will be coming with us for sure those hooded ones will be spare.
I also have 2 flannel sleeping bags. They are just flannel. Not lined or stuffed.
They make a great extra for these cold nights. On top of that I have a great warm large purple blanket. (another color blind bargain....the reds, pinks and purples don't work for me) So we will look like a bunch of clowns but we won't be cold.....

BigDutchy wrote:.....I have a great warm large purple blanket. (another color blind bargain....the reds, pinks and purples don't work for me) So we will look like a bunch of clowns but we won't be cold.....

An Ex-Service person is someone who thought enough about their country & how great it is, how lucky we are to live here, to write a blank cheque made out to 'The People and Commonwealth of Australia' for the value of 'Up to & including my Life!'

On top of that I have a great warm large purple blanket. (another color blind bargain....the reds, pinks and purples don't work for me) So we will look like a bunch of clowns

Lol..... And if you ever need to be choppered out of anywhere you've got a variety of distress sheets to lay out!!!!!

Yes I have to say the old bags are good. Where they didn't do to well was in the zipper department. Zippers have come a long way. My V-Tube bag was a bugger to zip up or down mainly due to snagging the weather sleeve that runs the whole length of the bags zipper. I always just climbed into it zipped up.
The only time I use a hood on a bag is extreme cold weather.

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